KUALA LUMPUR, July 2 — Enforcement officers may only use firearms against animals as a last resort, Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Salahuddin Ayub told Parliament today.

In his reply to Datuk Noor Azmi Ghazali (Bersatu-Bagan Serai) during the Minister’s Question Time today, Salahuddin said the Animal Welfare Act 2015 clearly stated that none may shoot or kill any animal with a firearm, unless in a desperate or life-threatening situation.

"The process of eliminating an animal must follow the provisions under the Animal Welfare Act 2015.

"Section 30 (1) states: No person shall kill by way of shooting with firearms any dog, cat or any other animal which may be prescribed by the minister by notification in the Gazette, unless it is authorised by the veterinary authority during emergency or for the purposes of disease control.

"And Section 30 (2) (e) which further elaborates: the killing is done for the purpose of animal population control by any authorised authority under any written law,” Salahuddin said.

He then gave examples of situations in which using firearms to kill animals may be permissible, such as when dealing with rabid animals, aggressive animals and dangerous animals that have turned other creatures around them as prey.

Salahuddin added that even with the rabies outbreak in Sarawak, the Veterinary Services Department had used tranquillisers instead of firearms to control the threat against the public.

"We try to use the most animal friendly methods to control (the rabies outbreak),” said Salahuddin.

Earlier, Noor Azmi raised the recent use of firearms to control the dog population by the Ipoh City Council, expressing worry that other local authorities might have used the same methods and enquired about the measures approved by the Animal Welfare Board.